Part 1

Despite the fact that there's been little content or movement on my goldfish over the last couple of weeks, I keep telling myself this blog isn't just a flash in the pan. So I'm going to put up a few photographs that I've snapped overseas so far...

...It's not overly relevant, but here's my cat eating a drumstick.

Before I even get on a plane in Brisbane, there's drama- they wont let me on the plane untill I show them the physical credit card that was used to purchase the tickets. That credit card has since been cancelled. I have to flex my 'My Dad is a captain for your airline' routine, and I feel like a douche- but it works.. After I 'show a birth certificate or get his work ID faxed to the ticket desk'. There's a whole lot of annoying red tape but eventually they let me on board- I almost miss the flight.

I arrive in Hong Kong and I'm about half way through Red Dragon-

It's pretty good. I know which way it's headed as I've already seen the movie, but it's interesting enough for a plane trip. My favourite line is a quote taken from a William Blake poem, stating "And then came a Great Red Dragon also,". I like scary books.

The flight from Hong Kong to London is shit house. I get about an hours sleep (on a twelve-and-half flight), and the 16 year old english kid next to me won't turn off his phone. I don't care how you went on your GCSE's, please don't talk to me. He's pushy on the arm rest, too. The chinese girl on the other side of him sleeps for about twelve hours with her head on the table infront of her. Solid effort. On the plus side, I just about finish Red Dragon. I get through all the good and gory bits while the cabin staff ask if there is a doctor on board and a lady from a few rows back throws up alot in the bathroom near me. Should have had the chicken!

I miss my London-Dublin connection but make the next flight- it's only 45 minutes later anyway. I can't remember ever having missed a flight before. By this stage I'm pretty stinky and they're allowing me to cut in all the lines at Heathrow Airport.. suckers.

I get to Dublin and go straight to the city- it's a warm day, even though it's overcast. Cue a few photographs of the H'appeny Bridge, St. Stephens Green, and a delicious beer that I drank really fast at a pub called Davy Jone's that Mell and I have been too. I've been awake for close on 30 hours by this point but manage to stay out the whole day.

Everything is alot more green and lush then when we were here last in winter. I go home, and I crash at 6pm. I wake up at 4am- damnit.

The Wednesday is not quite as packed... I eat my first packet of skips since arriving in Europe. This will be a highlight of my trip.

I get Prawn Cocktail flavour (sounds alot worse then it really is), and the packet tells me they will be Fizzibly Melty. They do not dissapoint. I await their arrival in Australia.

All of the houses in Ireland look like this... seriously.

Here's some random building that looks like it could come alive at any minute. I snap this on my way to a park in the City.

I find a spot under a tree and get stuck into 'The Silence of the Lambs'. I feel like a university student at lunch time. I nibble on an apple and cinamon muffin, with a banana and walnut on standby. They are really tasty.

I get home to get ready to see Sweet Savage, Tenacious D and Metallica at Marly park. I must have been the only idiot there who read the ticket and left his camera behind- stupid me.

Sweet Savage are like every rock band you've ever heard.

Tenacious D are actually really cool- costumes, props, humour (I don't normally think all that much of Jack Black but his egotistical, loud-rude American stereotype works well on stage with the other guitarist, Cage). The crowd are quite supportive, which is unlike previous Metallica gigs that I've heard of.

Metallica come out at 9pm while the sun is still high in the sky. This is very weird for me. They play a whole bunch of old songs, like Creeping Death, Ride the Lightning, Master of Puppets etc. They also play Whiskey in the Jar, an old Thin Lizzy track that the crowd lap up. Today would have been (Irish rocker/singer from Thin Lizzy) Phil Lynott's 59th birthday had he not offed himself a while back.

Towards the end of the gig, they play a couple of punk tracks- And let me tell you, as embarrasing as it is standing next to your mum (Yes, I went with my mum) while Tenacious D play "Fuck you Gently", it dosen't hold a candle to James Hetfield singing;

(language warning, people)

"I've got something to say- I killed your baby today,

It dosen't matter much to me, as long as it's dead,

I've got something to say- I raped your mother today,

It dosen't matter much to me, as long as she bled."

At least I can explain that one is a cover.

And next track-

"Well, I've fucked the queen, I've fucked Bach

I've even sucked an old man's cock

So what, so what

And I've fucked a sheep, I've fucked a goat

I rammed my cock right down its throat

So what, so what

So what, so what, you boring little fuck"

Yeah, wow. I've got nothing.

I'm in Ireland for a few more days for a wedding. I skip town early Sunday morning (assuming I make the flight- I need to be at the airport around 430am after the wedding reception Saturday night) to head to the UK for the Creamfields Festival, Notting Hill Carnival, and probably 4 or 5 days worth of recovery.